World's oldest shipwreck found off Turkey dates to early Bronze Age
A Bronze Age shipwreck dated to between 4,400 and 4,700 years old has been found off Kekova Island in Turkey, with ceramic pots and stone anchors surviving.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
Archaeologists have found what is thought to be the world's oldest shipwreck off the coast of Turkey. The vessel is dated to the early Bronze Age, between 4,400 and 4,700 years old, around the time the Great Pyramid was being built. No wood from the ship survives. Its cargo does: more than 30 ceramic storage pots, called amphorae, have been recovered from the sea floor.
The wreck lies close to the shore of Kekova Island on Turkey's southwestern coast. It sits at a shallow depth, about 30 metres beneath the waves, with artefacts scattered across an underwater slope. Teams of divers have been exploring the site. The pots were brought to the surface and are being cleaned and conserved.
The amphorae have two handles, a ridge in the middle and a flat base. That shape is characteristic of the early Bronze Age, and it is how the team dated the wreck. Remarkably, the pots still carry traces of what they once held. Tests on the residues may show whether they contained olive oil, wine, tree resins or something else.
The ship was a trading vessel about 10 metres long. It is thought to have sailed from the Mediterranean coast of the Middle East and then headed towards Kekova Island, where it sank. Its final destination was either the ancient city of Troy, in what is now northwestern Turkey, or Crete.
As well as the ceramics, divers recovered three stone anchors. One is a large slab of stone with two holes. For long voyages, ships often carried at least one spare anchor. The waters around Kekova Island have strong currents, and many wrecks have been found there.
A researcher described the find as the earliest straight shipwreck in the world. "This is the earliest straight shipwreck of the world," the researcher said. "We are able to date this shipwreck like 4,700 years old to 4,400 years old." The same researcher called the remains "something like time capsules at the bottom of the sea" and said the team were the first humans to touch the objects in about 5,000 years. The artefacts will now be studied further to learn more about the ancient world.
On screen
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Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, grouped by how many channels reported each one. Select a dot to see the source excerpt.
| Claim |  |  |
|---|---|---|
| Reported by all 2 channels | ||
| A shipwreck believed to be the world's oldest, potentially up to 4,700 years old and dating to the early Bronze Age, was found off the coast of Turkey. | ||
| Ceramic storage pots survived on the shipwreck, and some contained traces of their former contents. | ||
| Only on one channel | ||
| Archaeologists estimate the wreck to be about 4,500 years old, from around the period when the Great Pyramid was built. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Reported by BBC One |
| Testing residues inside the pots could reveal whether they held olive oil, wine, tree resins or other substances. | Not reported by Channel 5 | |
| The ship is thought to have sailed from the Mediterranean coast of the Middle East towards Kekova Island, where it sank. | Not reported by Channel 5 | |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
Channel 5 treated the shipwreck as a brief closing item in its lunchtime bulletin. It led with the age of up to 4,700 years and the survival of ceramic pots containing traces of their contents. It did not give the location beyond the Turkish coast and did not include expert detail, depth, ship size or route.
- “Finally, the world's oldest shipwreck has been found off the coast of Turkey.”
- “Experts believe it could be up to 4,700 years old, which links it to the early Bronze Age.”
- “Remarkably, the ceramic storage pots on the boat have survived, and some even contain traces of what they held inside.”
BBC One West gave the story detailed coverage across its bulletins. Its science editor package used exclusive footage and set out the date, site, depth, cargo, residues and the ship's possible route and destination. The tone was explanatory and vivid, with expert quotes and a strong sense of the wreck as a time capsule.
- “This is the earliest straight shipwreck of the world.”
- “We are able to date this shipwreck like 4,700 years old to 4,400 years old.”
- “We are the first humans who touched these objects after about 5,000 years.”
Broadcast Timeline
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